A new lens for my Nikon camera?
I have a Nikon D3000 DSLR. I've had it for a little bit now and I'm looking a new and better lens to use for a while. Any suggestions on good lenses and why they are good? Any help will do!
If you happen to have a spare $600, the new Nikon 18-140mm AF-S VR could be a good choice. It has a versatile zoom range, less versatile than the 18-200mm, but maybe more consistent quality.
Maybe. I still don't see hands-on reviews of it.
Have you ever mowed a lawn and tended to your yard work?
Have you ever tried to build something in the garage and found you could do better with the proper power tool?
It is the same with Photography, I re-entered the DSLR arena after years of absence mainly because I was a professional wedding photographer and to get the quality one needed to stand out in the field one needed cameras that used a larger than 35mm negative. So I ended up with two Mamiya cameras that used 120 size film and got 16 shots to a roll of the "ideal" format.
The one thing you should NOT do is ask "what should my next lens be?".It just shows money is burning a hole in your pocket. My experience when I entered the DSLR market place was to purchase the body with a 28-to-55mm lens, like most people. I then realized that I wanted more magnification to bring distant scenery into a closer perspective. So I purchased a 50-200mm lens. By and by I found that digital DSLR's could not be used for simple close-ups say of an area of 5"x7". This meant I needed a macro lens for my outfit. In most cases two macro lenses are available for most "system" cameras like the one you own. I'm older and getting down on my hands & knees to get close to a beautiful flower did not appeal to me so I purchased a 100mm macro lens so I would not have to be right on top of my subject matter. Why oh why am I going to all this detail? The reason is simple you purchase another lens based on YOUR need not the recommendation of somebody else. If the manufacture has two or more lenses of the same focal length you are looking for, a recommendation may shed some light on the advantages of one over another you may not have thought of.
In a recent review the 55-300mm dx got a better review than the 55-200 dx.
Do you want to replace the lens you have with a better one, or a different lens?
If the former, consider the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8, or the Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8, both of which are vastly superior to the kit lens you have (18-55mm f/2.5~5.6).
If you want a second lens, a very popular lens for this camera is the Nikon 55-200mm f/4~5.6 VR. This is a good lens if you want to add telephoto capability to your camera, and is pretty much designed to be a match to your 18-55mm.
Stephen - actually DxOMark testing on the two lenses show just the opposite. The two lenses are very close in performance, but the edge goes to the 55-200. And since the 55-200 has better build quality (internal focusing vs a rotating barrel when the 55-300 focuses), the edge goes to the 55-200.
Do you have the 18-55mm lens? What's wrong with it? It's a great lens if you know exactly how to use it.
Ideally, you don't replace a lens unless it's broken. You buy a new lens to complement your old ones. This will make you more versatile. Here's how to look at lenses to help you choose your next lens.
http://keerok-photography.blogspot.com/2011/05/lenses-so-many-of-them-there-is-no-best.html
The (unofficial) "Rule For Buying A Lens" is this: First identify a need and a use for it. What do you want to do with your photography that you can't do with the 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G zoom lens that came with your D3000? Buying a lens just to be buying a lens is usually a waste of money.
Are you interested in true macro photography? Choose a macro lens from Nikon (they call them micro lenses) or Sigma or Tamron. Note that a true macro lens is a single focal length such as 60mm or 90mm or 105mm. A zoom lens with the word "macro" in its description is really only a close-focusing zoom.
Are you interested in photographing wildlife? Choose a long focal length such as 55-300mm or 100-400mm and invest in a good tripod.
Are you interested in indoor sports photography? The standard is the 70-200mm f2.8 zoom although you can manage with the less expensive 70-200mm f4 version.
Are you interested in portraits or low-light photography or both? The standard is the 50mm f1.8 although if your budget allows the 50mm f1.4 would be a better choice.
Are you interested in landscape photography and want a wider view than the 18mm end of your 18-55mm zoom allows? The Nikon 10-24mm should fit your needs. Sigma and Tamron offer similar focal length models which can save you money.
So before buying a lens first identify a need and a use for it. Otherwise you may as well throw your money in a fire pit.